JMI-2. Ray was so impressive during the making of JMI-1 that there was no decision on the leader for our next LP: it had to be Ray. We put together the best players we could to match Ray’s advanced playing and composition: Blue Note leaders Derrick Hodge and Ambrose Akinmusire on bass and trumpet, respectively; and Eric Harland and Myron Walden on drums and horns. The cover was shot by noted photographer Jill Greenberg, who pioneered the “heat treatment” photo style. One was named one of Rolling Stone’s top 10 jazz releases of 2018 and Ray appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in October, 2018 to promote it.